Disclaimer: You are exactly my brand of heroin. (I am switching to Twilight quotes.)

Touch

Chapter 24

(A.N.) I am still alive! I just sort of forgot about this story for a while. I'm so sorry for leaving you guys hanging. I didn't mean to!

"Don't ever do that again!"

"What? Fly upside down? Like so?"

"I hate you! Do you hear me? I absolutely hate you!"

"I am gratified to know the feeling is mutual, girl."

"When we get back on the ground, I'm going to shoot you, asshole."

"I could simply drop you. I doubt you would be in any condition to use your pathetic weapon then."

"Fuck you, gardenia."

Instantly, Krad's arms loosened around my waist, letting me slip precariously into the air. I shrieked wordlessly in response and fisted both my hands in his shirt. Sheer terror giving me phenomenal strength, I pulled my body up until I could scream in his ear. "Fine. I don't hate you. I fucking loathe you!"

Which is when he let go of me completely, using his free hands to pry mine off him.

And I fell, screaming.

Mere feet from my impending pancake status, I was roughly snatched out of the air by Krad's arms and he continued flying along as if he hadn't dropped me. "I believe that I have made my point. Do you have need of any further reminders, girl?" he asked, managing to be disdainful and triumphant at the same time. Such talent.

I couldn't even answer him. My breath came unevenly and fast, sucking in copious amount of oxygen in panic, and my heart was thudding so quickly that I couldn't make out the individual beats anymore. My pulse was one big "thump".

"What did I ever do to you?" I wondered out loud once my ability to breathe normally came back. "I don't remember insulting you before your Hate Cassie Parade started. I only insult people who are jerks to me first. Usually. Is it the hair? Do you hate redheads? 'Cause I noticed that you happen to hate Niwa, too, and he has red hair. Which is weird, by the way. He's Japanese and he swore to me that red's his natural color. It's just unnatural. Like you. And Hiwatari. And Dark. And the killer. And that grossly misshapen fish right there." We were gliding over the ocean, almost skimming the surface of the water. The fish in question was flat and staring up at me with both eyes, which were embedded in its back. I think that qualifies as unnatural.

"You are babbling," Krad observed blandly.

"Yes. I am. I tend to do that when I have near death experiences."

"You are also annoying me. If you don't wish to swim your way to shore, I would suggest you hold your tongue."

I wanted to tell him that his threat was better than the current situation but I wisely bit my tongue to keep the not-so-nice response to myself. I'd had enough of the ocean to last me a lifetime. It kept trying to drown me. Not to mention that I was a bit tired still from the chaotic past few days.

Finally, the Niwa residence came into sight and Krad circled like a vulture before finally deciding to land on a balcony attached to the side of the quaint looking house. Sliding from the bastard's grip, I realized that my legs were shaking. It took me a couple minutes to make them move the way legs are supposed to: one foot in front of the other. I would have called it walking, but it was more like a wiggly sort of limping. I really do hate heights.

Krad trailing haughtily behind me, I knocked on the sliding glass door that led into the house. I could make out a bedroom too sporadically decorated to be an adult's, so it must have been Daisuke's. Unless he had brothers or sisters that I didn't know about.

I rapped my knuckles against the glass again, harder this time. My gloves were absorbing most of the sound though. I could see a lump shift on the loft bed, but it ignored me.

What the hell was Daisuke doing in bed? It was only around five o'clock, at the latest.

About to pound on the door a third time, I found that the action was no longer necessary since Krad had simply passed a glowing hand over the handle, unlocking it. "Neat trick," I commented. "Illegal, but neat." I was itching to handcuff him.

"Human laws don't concern me," the white winged man answered, shoving the door aside and stepping into the room beyond.

I sighed softly. Arrogant son of a whore. I wonder how Hiwatari, being a police commander, felt about Krad's disregard for laws.

Pushing those musings away for another time, I followed Krad inside and slid the door closed without a sound.

The lump on the bed didn't move.

I tested the emotions in the room curiously and found them to be calm, unmistakably Daisuke with some smattering of Dark, and clean of negativity. Peace permeated the air and I felt my body instantly relax in response. This was probably the most tranquil place I've been since being put on this case. I shook myself a little, reminding myself that I needed to rouse Daisuke, and went over to the loft's ladder.

A ladder. Great. At least it was only six feet off the ground. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Determined not to make a fool of myself, I grabbed the rung at my eye level and started climbing. My legs still felt like jelly, but I was able to force them upwards. The climb was mercifully so short that I didn't have a chance to look down before I got to the top. The only sight for my eyes was a comforter covered hump.

I poked it. "Niwa-kun? Wake up." When the bulge made no answer, I tried, "Okite kudasai?" I pushed at Daisuke a little harder, feeling a frown tug at my lips. Five minutes passed by, interspersed with cutting off Krad's increasingly violent suggestions for waking the red-head, as I tried to coax Daisuke out of dreamland. Finally, I gave into my irritation and shouted where I assumed his ear to be, "Niwa Daisuke, ima okinasai!"

Bolting upright swiftly, Daisuke knocked me aside in panicked disorientation. I tumbled down the ladder, landing on my butt and uttering an undignified squeak. Krad's mocking laughter filled the room.

So much for not making a fool of myself.

"Nani wa?" a muffled voice called from above me. I could barely hear the words, but I assumed that the croak originated from Daisuke. I ascribed the sound at first to a bullfrog who was masquerading as the redhead. I had to consciously decide not to believe that. I think my nerves are shot. Damn Krad and his fucked up flying maneuvers. My hands were still shaking.

"It's Cassie Simon, Niwa-kun," I said, groaning a little. I pushed myself back onto my feet, wincing slightly as I straightened. A few new bruises, no doubt, has joined the others in decorating my skin. Lovely.

There was a long pause, followed by a more human-sounding noise of surprise from above me. "Simon-san?" Daisuke asked. He poked his head out over the side of his loft. "W-what..? How…how did you get in here?"

Sharply, I jerked a thumb at Krad. "He unlocked the door when you wouldn't answer."

Another pause. "Anou…" Daisuke murmured, staring at Krad apprehensively. He didn't look any more thrilled than I was with the idea of Krad breaking and entering. It was nice to know that I wasn't the only one bothered by it, and it was especially gratifying to know that Daisuke agreed with me.

"Why are you here, Simon-san?" the redhead finally asked as he tore his eyes away from my unpleasant escort.

A bit sheepishly, I admitted, "I need Dark's help." At Daisuke's uncomprehending expression, I realized belatedly that he hadn't heard about the Harada twins' kidnapping yet. I let my voice soften a little, as I always did when bearing bad news. "The killer took the Harada girls. Just hours ago."

Shock spread over Daisuke's face. "What?"

"Risa and Riku are gone," I repeated. "Krad and I just came from the scene. We were hoping that Dark, or someone in your family, would have some information about where he might have taken them. If we can find him quickly, we might get to them in time. But I don't know how much time we have left."

I don't think I've ever seen any person move as fast as Daisuke did, leaving a blur when he jumped down from the loft. I blinked slowly, unconvinced that he could really move that swiftly. When my eyes were open once again, it wasn't Daisuke who shared the room with Krad and me. It was Dark.

The Phantom Thief dashed to the door of the room and flung it open. "Towa!" he yelled out the door. "I need you!" He spun around, eyes searching. "With?" he called, hand outstretched.

A ball of white fluff raced to Dark instantly, practically scampering over my toes. The movement was so sudden that I stumbled backwards in surprise. I ended up loosing my balance, and I would have fallen flat on my back if Krad hadn't been standing only three or four feet behind me. So, instead of the floor, I backed ungracefully into the sadist.

"Get off," he commanded immediately.

"My thoughts exactly," I muttered to myself.

"Now."

Just to be petty, I elbowed him in the stomach before taking a step forward and turned to face him, crossing my arms. I opened my mouth, ready to give him a piece of my mind, but I didn't get the chance since another person joined us and Dark in the room. A bundle of nervous, chaotic energy accompanied the new addition. It was almost like the feeling that I sometimes got from songbirds and small rodents. Very fluttery.

I turned to get a good look at whoever it was and discovered a young woman in a purple maid's outfit. I was startled to realize that my bird analogy wasn't far off. She was avian-like. Her build was thin and delicate looking, and her hands flapped through the air as she anxiously demanded why Dark had shouted for her. Her voice, too, had a birdish quality to it. Very high pitched and rushed, just like birdsong.

"Towa," Dark said very quietly. Just the one word. So very soft, yet so full of command. His amethyst eyes flashed in barely suppressed rage and worry. Concern made his eyebrows knit and my skin began to crawl as I was suddenly aware of all the swarming emotions snaking around the room.

The bird-girl, Towa, fell silent, a serious expression settling across her face. I got the feeling that it wasn't often she wore such a face. "What do you need me to find?" she asked, just as solemn as Dark. Her voice, now much more even with gravity, was still high pitched, but a musical quality underscored her speech. Her jewel-bright emerald eyes swirled with an energy that I was starting to recognize. It was the same sort of power that flowed through Krad and Dark. This Towa wasn't human, not like I was.

"Not 'what'," Dark corrected, "Who. I need you to find a stone statue. It's housing the soul of Hikari Shoji. Can you find him?"

"I can try." Her eyes flicked over to me and Krad for the first time. She opened her mouth then closed it as she glanced at Dark. "It may take time, though," she added. Her eyes kept straying to Krad fearfully. She wasn't comfortable at all with him around.

"We don't have that much time," I said before Dark could. "You'll have to do whatever it is you do quickly. He's not going to keep the girls for nearly as long as he kept the others. In fact…" I swallowed thickly. "I would say that we have a couple more hours at best."

"Shit!" Dark swore softly. He ran a hand over is face and through his hair, continuing to swear under his breath in several different languages.

Drawing herself up to her diminutive height, Towa set her shoulders stiffly. "Then I will have to hurry." A small waver found its way into her words. The worry that she wouldn't succeed in time made her doubt herself, but that doubt would push her to work faster. I wasn't about to try to reassure her. I simply nodded at her to get along with whatever she needed to do.

The maid marched herself past me to the balcony, Dark following close behind her. Both jumped up into the air, most likely to reach the roof.

"How will she be able to find them?" I asked Krad.

"She is the Towa no Shirube, the Eternal Guide. It is her purpose to find that which cannot be found. She is one of the youngest Hikari works in existence."

He was staring after them pensively, the expression on his face almost indescribable. It was thoughtful, even solemn. Without thinking, I laid a hand on his arm. "We should follow them."

"No, we shouldn't," the angel answered. His burnt topaz eyes shifted to meet my own. "The Guide is working. Going now would distract her. She performs best when there is less interference close to her. Dark being in such close proximity to her is going to cause her enough problems. There is no reason to slow her powers with our impatience. We will wait here for them."

"How do you know she's already started?" I asked, leaving my hand on his arm. He didn't seem to mind and it felt good to touch something real. Life was getting stranger and stranger by the second for me.

A sudden thrum of energy passed through me. My entire body prickled with static electricity, my heart and blood pounding in response.

Eyebrow quirked knowingly, Krad simply looked up at the ceiling. "That is how."

They really were perfect. Smooth, porcelain skin. Dark, lustrous hair. Perfectly shaped almond eyes. Lithe bodies. Even their fear was perfect. Shoji knew that they would be his greatest work yet.

It was no matter that he wouldn't have the appropriate time with them. They were perfect like none of the other swans were. She would be pleased with these offerings.

Salvation. He could almost taste it. Soon, so soon. It was within his grasp. Finally.

Silver flashed. The knife was almost ready. Almost sharp enough. It had to be sharp enough to cut their flesh without trouble. He didn't want the skin to pucker.

They huddled together. Crying. Sob sob sob… He didn't try to stop them like he'd done with the others. He wanted these ones to cry. The red actually complimented them. He wondered how much more red could be added before it became overwhelming.

Blood red looked good on everything. Life colors always did.

He knew what he wanted to do. Cut, slash, paint. Repeat. The concept was obvious. The Gemini constellation. Twins. Mirrors. So damn perfect.

One a sun, the other a moon. He could carve their skin with the right symbols and designs. An earring for each of them.

The blade was ready. Light glinted off the metal. It was time. Time for his art, for his obsession. Respectfully, he placed the knife aside. He would start with the simple preparation work first. That was important. That part would not be sacrificed for time. No. This must be done. The canvas could not be properly used if it wasn't readied correctly.

The rod was light. He dragged the swans apart, leaving the short haired moon canvas to watch. He liked that she was watching. Finally, his genius could be witnessed. His glory. Eyes watching wide with awe and fear.

Strong. He felt strong in those eyes. Powerful. He could do this. He could please Kouriko; he could do it this time. Yes, this time…

This time was perfect.

A whistle of air. A slap of wood on flesh. Two screams. One horror, one pain. He loved it. Reveled in it.

Another crack of the rod. Another set of shrieks. Another thrill.

He was transforming them. Saving them. Saving himself.

"Tomatte kudasai!" the sun swan begged. "Onegai!"

"Imouto ga kizsutsukenai de," the moon was saying. "Watashi no kawari ni! Imouto ga hakuhou shite. Onegai!"

Ah, so beautiful…

It was too bad that their screams would have to stop soon.

Five minutes had passed, and I'd been pacing nervously for three of them. Waiting is always the hard part. Step by step, I crossed Daisuke's room for what I think was the thirty-something time. I'd stopped counting after twenty. Maybe I was already in the forties.

Krad was lounging against the wall, his wings folded carefully so that they were tucked against his body. His eyes were closed, his brows knitted in concentration. A grimace would occasionally mar his face, but it would be smoothed out quickly every time. Since I could strongly sense Hiwatari's emotions, I assumed that he and Krad were having a conversation.

Another length of the room disappeared under my feet. I couldn't take this much longer. Almost unconsciously, my fingers toyed with the butt of my gun. Pain began to pound through my head, a combination of stress and overexertion. The buzzing sensation from Towa's powers was only adding to the problem. My nerves were, in simple terms, shot all to hell.

"Stop doing that," Krad growled quietly, opening his eyes.

"Doing what?" I asked irritably.

"Pacing. You are causing Satoshi-sama to worry and his concern annoys me."

"So sorry that emotion inconveniences you. But I'm afraid that you're not about to get any sympathy from me. My head feels like its going to explode because of you two and Dark and Daisuke. Oh, and Towa is no help either. Is there anything we can do about that vibration? Like say…making is stop?"

I could practically hear his teeth grinding. More flashes of Hiwatari surfaced and Krad's expression changed again. Now, he looked perplexed. A small frown tugged at his lips.

"What is it?" I asked. What could possibly make Krad look so thoughtful?

Blinking, he focused back on me. "It is none of your concern."

Since he was studying me like a scientist would a bug, I begged to differ, but I kept my mouth shut. Opening it would only cause trouble at this point. I could feel it. So, instead, I raised my eyebrows and willed him to be talkative.

I wasn't surprised when he stayed silent.

And he was still studying me.

Three or four heartbeats went by while I tried not to squirm under the intense gaze. I could still vaguely sense Hiwatari, so I knew that he was still probably talking to Krad, but what in the world could they be discussing that would make Krad stare at me like this? I couldn't think of anything plausible. Even for Krad, this was creepy.

"You can stop that now," I finally said. Enough was enough.

Krad didn't stop. Big surprise. Instead, he quirked his head slightly off-kilter and ordered, "Come here."

"Why?"

"Because I asked."

"You didn't ask. You commanded."

"Semantics. Now come here."

Against my better judgment, I approached him warily. What could he possibly want? Halting around three feet away from him, I waited for him to explain what was going on.

Silently, he waved his hand in a "come closer" gesture.

I took one more step closer and stopped. This is as close as I was going to go.

I guess that my face betrayed that resolve. Krad growled impatiently under his breath and pushed away from the wall, eliminating the space I'd planning on keeping between us in no time. Before I could react, a warm hand was placed against my forehead.

"What are you—?"

"Stay still. Satoshi-sama wishes for me to try something," Krad snapped. His hand moved to my right temple and the left side of my head was soon joined by his other hand. Thumbs smoothed the skin of my forehead and fingers rubbed circles into my temples. A warm sensation sprawled through my head, soothing the ache that had been building there for a while.

Closing my eyes, I hummed involuntarily as the pain disappeared. "You have to teach me how to do this," I murmured. It was heavenly. The only thing I could feel, besides the now faint undertow of emotions in the room, was the dulled down version of Towa's powers. It was as if a thick blanket had been thrown over my psychic senses, muffling everything.

The gentle fingers fell away and I reluctantly opened my eyes. "Thanks." The blanket had thinned a little, but it was still in place. My head no longer was throbbing and all the readings I'd been getting before were now much more tolerable.

"That was merely something my Tamer wished me to experiment with," Krad stated, his tone very hard. "Nothing more."

"All the same," I said, "I'm still thanking you." After all, I'd been raised right. So to speak.

If I'd thought the action was in his repertoire, I would have sworn that Krad rolled his eyes at me. But since I don't think it is, I'll settle for saying that his eyeballs twitched in irritation. That sounds a bit more Krad-ish.

Abruptly, the vibration in the air vanished. Confirming my unvoiced conclusion, Krad immediately announced, "She's finished."

Dark was at the balcony doors milliseconds after that statement. "I know where he took them."

"Where?" Krad and I demanded simultaneously.

Wow. Creepy.

Addressing Krad, Dark answered, "Where the Toki no Byoushin used to be." I know he was speaking solely to Krad since I had no idea whatsoever what he was talking about.

"Is that supposed to mean something?" I asked crossly. I hate being out of the loop.

"Yes," Krad replied. "It means a great deal." He turned to Dark. "How did he open the seals we placed there? Satoshi-sama placed his own wards over yours after the whole ordeal was finished."

"He obviously managed to break them," the thief said. "I can't figure out how, though. It should have been impossible. Or at the very least beyond his skill."

I was thoroughly confused. "What are you talking about?"

"So he had help," Krad muttered, almost to himself. "Perhaps the same person who awakened him centuries earlier than he should have been."

Oh. So that's what they were getting at. Why couldn't they have simply said that in the first place? Is there a rule that says I need a damn cryptograph in order to decipher everything?

Dark leapt up onto the terrace railings. "We need to hurry," he stated.

Knowing he was right, I hurried out onto the balcony, Krad close behind me. He offered his hand to me wordlessly. I placed my hand in his with barely any hesitation. There was no time left for mistrust. The final moves of this cat and mouse game were about to be made, and we couldn't afford to be sluggish.

Squeezing my eyes shut as Krad pulled my body against his own, I braced myself for another flight. I clutched at his shirt when my feet left the ground. Wind whipped my face. I think Dark shouted something, but I was too focused on not panicking to care.

Hold on, girls. We're coming.

It hurt so much. Riku felt every blow that bastard rained on her twin. Each scream Risa uttered, tore Riku's heart into even smaller pieces. Riku tried to interfere, but she was always knocked aside as easily as a rag doll would have been.

How can he be so strong? she wondered helplessly. Or is it that I'm weak?

But she kept at it. Again, she forced herself to crawl towards Risa. Riku's legs were now too bruised for her to walk, but she could still inch along on her knees.

Risa was curled in the fetal position, trying to protect her soft, vulnerable stomach and face. She was crying and a pain-filled keening sound was coming from the back of her raw throat. Blood trickled down from the small wounds the wooden stick had left behind. Riku knew that her twin had never experienced so much agony, never in her entire life.

Slowly, Riku crawled. Almost there… Her hand stretched out for her sister between blows.

Instinctively knowing that her sister was near, Risa reached for the offered hand. Their fingers brushed against each other, feather light, before they seized each other in vice-like grips.

"Ane-chan…" Risa whimpered softly. She lifted her head just enough to look Riku in the eye. Tears ran down both of their faces, staining their skin and the stone floor. "Nigete…"

"Kesshite," Riku whispered. She would never leave her sister behind, even if she could escape like Risa wanted.

A large hand gripped Riku by the hair, forcing a terrified and enraged shriek from her. The man jerked her head back and studied her stubborn face critically. He shook her slightly, trying to force the twins to part from each other. When that failed, he frowned, obviously displeased.

Riku saw the rod pull back in slow motion, then time seemed to speed up as it descended towards her. The strike caught her in the shoulder and she yelped, tightening her grip on Risa's hand. Risa screamed along with her. The man struck the longer haired girl, attempting to silence her.

Terrified, Riku curled around her sister, trying to protect her.

Somebody help us!

The flight was mercifully short. The fountain, it turned out, was only a couple minutes away from the Niwa house as the crow flies.

I had a brief moment to examine the fountain before we landed. It was a Western-style design that was reminiscent of Italian or Greek architecture. There were mosaics and engravings all over the thing. I saw no doors or anything that led inside of it, so I wasn't exactly sure how we were supposed to get underground. Was there a passage somewhere else?

Krad touched down behind Dark. The Phantom Thief dashed forward, using the small stone steps in the basin of the fountain to reach a small alcove in the central hub. I saw him touch the stone with his hand, but that was about it. His body obstructed the rest.

Loosening his arms around me, Krad said, "Satoshi-sama is demanding to take over. I do not think it wise, but he insists." He gave me a hard glare. "Do not do anything foolish that will cause him injury."

With those words of "encouragement", Krad's form shimmered with a faint gold light. As the light faded, I was left with tiny spots in my vision and Hiwatari's arms around me. The first was annoying; the second made my heart skip a beat.

He stepped away from me with what I thought to be reluctance. There were so many other emotions emanating from him at that point that I couldn't be sure.

Twisting so that I could glance over my shoulder at Dark's progress with the fountain, I saw, to my amazement, an open doorway. Only an open doorway. Dark was gone, already inside.

"We need to hurry," I said needlessly.

Hiwatari and I ran to the door, sprinting by the time we reached the stairs beyond. I could see nothing but a faint light at the bottom of the spiraling staircase. A huge plus since I couldn't exactly see how far down the bottom actually was.

Pain and fear and exaltation enriched the air. None of them belonged to Dark, Hiwatari, or me.

Just in front of me, Hiwatari pounded down the steps.

Shadows engulfed us.

(A.N.) Well, that's all for now. Please REVIEW. I'll try and get the next chapter out as soon as I can, but I'm not sure exactly when that "soon" will be. Oh, and here are some translations for you guys. If you have any questions, just drop me an email or a pm.

Okite kudasai—"Wake up"; a command

Ima okinasai—"Wake up now"; a very strong command

Nani wa—"What is it?"; plain form

Anou—"Um…"

Toki no Byoushin—"Second Hand of Time"

Tomatte kudasai—"Please stop"; a polite command/request

Onegai—"Please"; used when asking a favor

Imouto ga kizsutsukenai de—"Don't hurt my (little) sister"; a negative command

Watashi no kawari ni! Imouto ga hakuhou shite. Onegai!—"Me instead! Please let my (little) sister go. Please!"

Ane-chan—"(Big) Sister"; an affectionate term between sisters

Nigete—"Escape"; a command

Kesshite—"Never"